Why Ina finally feels proud of her body

You can't 'hurt' yourself healthy. Ina realized that stress was taking a toll on her health, to the extent that it deeply affected her mood and day-to-day happiness. "A very good friend of mine told me that I should give exercising a try," she shared. "I was unhappy with myself but [never considered] working out. [My friend] recommended PumpUp as a source of inspiration." When Ina joined PumpUp in the summer of 2014, she began to develop a more positive relationship with exercise. "My journey basically started when I [began] to use PumpUp," she confessed. "I never worked out because I disliked everything about it. I have a mother who prepares healthy meals, but I was always stubborn about disliking athletic activity. Physical education classes at school were brutal : there were other students laughing [at me] and teachers grading whatever I did". With the help of PumpUp, Ina started to exercise regularly and more consistently. "I realized that I loved sweating, and even feeling sore after working out," she revealed. "I wish I could say that I was able to win the inner battle that I constantly waged against my eating disorder, but on most days, I did. Working out helped me to deal with that, in addition to my stress and anxiety."

Exercising did wonders for Ina's self esteem. She is most confident when she's able to feel how much effort she put into a workout. "I used to be obsessed about how much I ate, and whether I was losing 'enough' weight," she divulged. "After two months [with PumpUp], my mindset suddenly changed. I decided that this journey wasn't about numbers, but about me. I had a right to be happy. Working out made me feel good, regardless of what the scale said or how many calories I consumed."

Ina no longer regards her body with hatred. "My biggest personal accomplishment is that I've finally learned to be proud of my body," she insisted. "The same friend I mentioned before really helped me to deal with my eating disorder and all the hate that I projected towards my body. Now, I work out regularly and I enjoy it. One day, I hope to be strong enough to join a CrossFit box. Ultimately, I want to have a toned and muscular body."